House Dems will push to ban high-capacity ammo clips

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives will introduce legislation to ban high-capacity ammunition clips, such as those used in Newtown, Conn., and other notorious incidents, next week as soon as the new Congress convenes and is sworn in.

Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colorado, told The Huffington Post that the legislation would limit magazines, belts, drums, feed strips and “similar devices” to 10 rounds. It would exempt law enforcement personnel, and allow those currently in possession to keep ammunition clips already purchased.

“I am not so naive as to think we can pass some law that will stop a deranged person from taking a gun and shooting people: What I am interested in is making it as difficult as possible for that deranged person to shoot as many people as possible,” said DeGette.

DeGette and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., have sponsored similar legislation in the current Congress: The list of co-sponsors has soared to 135 House members (out of 435) in the wake of the Newtown shootings, in which 20 first graders and six adults were gunned down.

Democrats will hold 201 House seats in the new Congress. But Republicans remain in the majority, and House Speaker John Boehner controls which legislation is allowed to reach a vote on the floor.

“Right away . . . we could pass the ban on assault magazines,” House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said last week.

An M4 assault rifle, heavily used by the U.S. military and available at gun dealers, on line or at a gun show near you.on Getty Images

Rep. McCarthy has first-hand experience with mass killings. She lost her husband in a 1993 mass killing on a Long Island commuter train. Dennis McCarthy and five others were killed. The assailant came armed with 15-round magazines.

In Newtown, killer Adam Lanza’s primary weapon was a Bushmaster XM15 with 30-round magazines. He was also armed with Block 10mm and Sig Sauer 9 mm handguns, both of which allow high-capacity clips.

Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Frank Lautenburg, D-N.J. In Lautenburg’s words, “These high capacity magazines which were used at Newtown, Aurora, Tucson, Virginia Tech and so many other tragedies were designed for one purpose only — to shoot and kill quickly.”

Even some long-time allies of the National Rifle Association have questioned the use of assault magazines.

Sen. Joe Mancin, D-W.Va., possessed of an “A” NRA voting record, appeared on MSNBC’s “Daily Rundown” after a weekend of deer hunting at home in the Mountaineer State. He is able to get off one shot and at most two at a deer, Mancin said, and wondered why clips of 30 or even 100 bullets are needed.

“I’ve been a hunter all my life and there’s no reason to have a magazine that holds 30 shells,” said Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif.

Seattle religious leaders have called for state action to close the gun show loophole, ban high-capacity ammunition clips, and ban semi-automatic assault rifles.

Washington Ceasefire has scheduled a march against gun violence for downtown Seattle on Sunday, Jan. 13. The Emerald City has experienced two mass killings in recent years, the gunning down of four people at a coffee house on Roosevelt Way Northeast last year (with a fifth victim murdered on First Hill) and the 2006 murder of six people at a house on Capitol Hill following a concert.